What it means to be a volunteer — Associate Board members weigh in
by Rachel
It’s no secret I love volunteering. So I jumped at the chance to be involved with Easter Seals National Associate Board (NAB). Each member of the NAB makes a personal financial commitment to Easter Seals and then fundraises through their personal pages, social events and the companies they work for.
We’ve already had some pretty creative fundraising ideas this year, including:
- a raffle and ticketed networking event
- an accessible Wrigleyville rooftop night at a Cubs game
- a team of runners who raced from Madison, Wisc. across the Midwest to Chicago.
We only established NAB last summer, and the passion each board member has for Easter Seals grows with every interaction. This is National Volunteer Week, so I asked a couple NAB members what they had to say about volunteerism.
Mike Sandy — Chairman of the Easter Seals National Associate Board
Mike said, “It is an incredible honor to be part of the inaugural group for the NAB and I could not be happier to be involved with Easter Seals as an organization.” Mike met Melissa Hohimer from Easter Seals’ Finance Department when he was in graduate school. “I don’t believe I have ever met someone with more passion around their organization and its mission. She continuously spoke about Easter Seals and the type of work they were doing, which lead me to take a deeper look.” Mike has several friends with children who have autism and says the fact that Easter Seals is a leader in providing direct service to children with autism really resonated with him. ”Several of my friends completed tours in either Iraq or Afghanistan, so counseling and reintegration for returning veterans is also near and dear to my heart.”
After graduation, Mike was interested in putting his new found free time to good use. “So it seemed only natural that Easter Seals would be a perfect fit. The fact that the timing coincided with the establishment of the NAB couldn’t have worked out any better.”
Maria Mazza — Vice Chair of the Easter Seals National Associate Board
Maria said she decided to become involved with Easter Seals because of a long standing desire to give back to the community and her interest in working with an organization making a significant impact in the lives of children. “I’ve reached a point in life where I felt I had the time and resources to put my skills, energies and enthusiasm to use for an important cause,” she said. Maria is particularly interested in Easter Seals’ initiatives in the areas of early intervention and therapeutic services. “With such services facing increased demand, Easter Seals is playing an important role in helping children reach their potential. All children deserve in equal opportunity to succeed and Easter Seals is striving to help children in this regard.”
As a board member, not only has Maria had the opportunity to see how children and adults are benefitting from the extensive services provided by Easter Seals, but she has also had the opportunity to personally contribute to one of Easter Seals’ initiatives. “I recorded a PSA in Spanish about Make the First Five Count and the online screening tool created by Easter Seals for the assessment of potential developmental delays. I was truly honored by the opportunity and am excited about the upcoming events the NAB has planned for this year.”
April 25th, 2013 at 3:34 pm
I am a staff member at Easter Seals Headquarters and part of the team that works closely with the National Associate Board and it’s so rewarding to be able to work with such committed volunteers. To see their passion for our mission take off has been truly inspiring. Thanks to Mike and Maria for all you are doing for Easter Seals!